Bonito Campground (AZ)

Spacious sites, paved roads. Big trees. Close to town. Great hosts.

Campsites always clean and ready for arrival. Hosts very knowledgeable and helpful. Good spacing between campsites. Clean rest rooms. Quiet during posted hours. This is our go-to campground when heading from Phoenix to north of Flagstaff (or on return). Nice places to visit in the area if you have time on your hands (Sunset Crater, Wupatki, Walnut Canyon, good hiking trails nearby).

Bonito campground is great; it has large sites, lots of shade, clean bathrooms, and helpful camp hosts. It’s close to Sunset Crater and has some nice hiking trails nearby. Fortunately we had quiet camp neighbors so we could enjoy the nature around us.

Bonito campground is great; it has large sites, lots of shade, clean bathrooms, and helpful camp hosts. It’s close to Sunset Crater and has some nice hiking trails nearby. Fortunately we had quiet camp neighbors so we could enjoy the nature around us.

Slight slope to site 25 with afternoon shade and morning sun on the camp side. Bonito is always warm and there is no dump or water fill and no cell coverage on any of the carriers. Overall a quiet campground but for the price of an overnight stop you’re actually better boondocking on a close forest road.

Slight slope to site 25 with afternoon shade and morning sun on the camp side. Bonito is always warm and there is no dump or water fill and no cell coverage on any of the carriers. Overall a quiet campground but for the price of an overnight stop you’re actually better boondocking on a close forest road.

Excellent hosts; bathrooms well-maintained with paper towels and soap available.

Excellent hosts; bathrooms well-maintained with paper towels and soap available.

We love it here and have been several times. The sites are huge and the bathrooms are always very clean.

This was an enjoyable campground but be forewarned - There isn't a lot of level space. The photos do not show that you park your car then have to schlep your gear down the hill to the campsite. It was exhausting. But then, I'm old. If you were in an RV and not a tent you might not even notice how difficult multiple trips up and down that cinder covered slope could be.
Once I set up camp I enjoyed my stay here. It was quite quiet, especially when you consider that it's the first week in July. The spaces and bathrooms (with flush toilets, by the way) were meticulously maintained. The hosts were excellent. Very helpful. The ground is covered with fine cinders from Sunset Crater which made for excellent drainage when it rained all day Wednesday. No mud at all.
Be sure to check out Sunset Crater National Monument while you're there. I've lived in Arizona my whole life and I had never seen it. It was really very cool. Sorry I didn't go when I was younger.
This site had an excellent unobstructed view of the lava flows. I enjoyed walking along the edge of the lava cliffs.